Scuba Expert Witnesses

Neurology, Brain Injury Medicine - Hyperbaric and Diving Medicine, Maritime Injury, Decompression Sickness, Arterial Gas Embolism, Diving Injury, Decompression Illness, Dysbaric Osteonecrosis, Undersea Medicine, Hyperbaric Oxygen, Spinal cord, Diving Accidents, Traumatic Brain Injury TBI, Concussion, SCUBA, Saturation, barotrauma

Provide objective evidence of abnormalities using eye tracking device, balance tracking device, home sleep study, and actigraphy (sleep/wake cycles over days-weeks). Dr. Diana Barratt, a board-certified neurologist, has received awards from the American Academy of Neurology and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She earned a BS in engineering and an MD from the University of Florida; she earned a Master’s in Public Health degree from Harvard. Her national awards include the American Academy of Neurology Clerkship Director Teaching Award, the American Academy of Neurology Clerkship Director Innovation Award, the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Faculty Innovation Award, and the Association of American Medical College’s MedEdPORTAL Editor’s Choice Special Distinction for an EEG and Sleep publication. She has also published on increased intracranial pressure and traumatic brain injury. Dr. Barratt is a reviewer for Neurology, the most widely read and highly ci...

Law Enf & Criminal Justice, Police Practices & Procedures - Use of Force, Scuba, Firearms, Evidence, Less Lethal, Underwater Recovery, Interview, PADI, Interrogation, Investigations, Jail, Dive Team, Prisoners, Drug Investigations, Pepper Spray, Narcotics, Taser, K-9, Bean Bag, Canine, rescue diver, American Red Cross lifeguard, impact weapon, task force.

Chris Heitman is a seasoned law enforcement professional with over 26 years of experience serving various communities. He has held positions as an elected sheriff for 16 years, former police chief, detective, road supervisor, and still actively conducts contract work the United State Marshal's Office. He served as the Senior Board Member for Lake Area Narcotics Enforcement Group for nearly 20 years. He is a trained Major Case Squad Investigator, and has received training with the FBI along with numerous other training organizations. Throughout his career, he has successfully handled numerous cases ranging from money crimes to domestic assaults to murder. He is a former police K-9 handler. With a degree in criminal justice and as a licensed generalist and specialty instructor for the Missouri Department of Public Safety, he also imparts his knowledge as a teacher and instructor trainer at the police academy in Jefferson City. Including the lead Firearms and Less Lethal Instructor ...

Biomechanics, Blasting and Explosives - injury biomechanics, blast trauma, explosives, undersea medicine, hyperbaric physiology, ballistic trauma, extreme environments, trauma, diving, scuba, submersible, submarine, outer space, hypoxia, breathing system design, traumatic brain injury, TBI, military history, medical history, underwater

My specialties lie in the unique challenges and physiology of injurious environments, especially underwater, certain aspects of outer space, and from exposure to physically traumatic events such as explosions. I began my career working as a civilian mechanical engineer for the US Navy, where I specialized in the design, function testing, and safety testing of underwater equipment and breathing systems intended for use by military personnel, and I was both the project engineer and project manager for the first approval effort for a new military underwater breathing system to be successful since the 1970s. Concurrent with part of my employment with the navy, I earned a doctorate degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University, specializing in injury biomechanics, which is the application of the principles of engineering to determine the injury mechanisms and safe limits during events when human beings are at risk of injury or death. My goal for my career is safety and prevention...